Summary:

Chase Bliss Audio stands in a unique place among boutique guitar pedal companies. While there are a few other outlier builders that are doing some pretty exciting things, the innovative vision and expertise with which Mr. Joel Korte executes his one-of-a-kind creations puts this brand in a class of its own. In terms of unique sonic character, build quality, range of sounds, and features, Chase Bliss Audio pedals are inspirational instruments unlike anything the boutique pedal industry had seen until they arrived.

Chase Bliss Audio have also demonstrated in the short period of time they’ve been around that they strive to create the best possible product available regardless of the cost or difficulty of the undertaking. No effect type is too challenging not to tackle. And if an existing product can be made better, they’ll do it.

So along comes the Chase Bliss Audio Spectre, an analog through-zero flanger that nods to the classic FoxRox Electronics Paradox TZFz while venturing into new sonic territory. This is Chase Bliss Audio’s boldest release to date as quality analog through-zero flanger pedals are few and far between. And in the difficulty arena, analog TZ flangers are one of the hardest effects to pull off well.

I’m in a unique position to write this review as I’ve had extensive experience with Chase Bliss Audio’s previously released pedals including the Warped Vinyl MKII, Wombtone MKII, and Gravitas. I’ve been spending a lot of time with the Spectre to size up how it compares to these other offerings while taking notes on how the brand’s releases are evolving. But the main point in my Spectre review is to assess how well the pedal stands on its own and whether or not it accomplishes the ultimate mission of becoming the best analog through zero flanger pedal available.

Features:

Controls

Ramp knob can be set to control any of the 5 parameters (Zero, Regen, Rate, Width, Shift) individually or simultaneously via dip switches on the back of the pedal. Controls the ramp time in which this takes place.

Mix (Ramp) knob functions as a wet/dry mix knob for the flanging effect when no Ramp dip-switches are in use.

Zero knob sets the manual delay time on the flange effect. The “zero point” is somewhere between 1 o’clock & 3 o’clock.

Regen knob increases the intensity of the flange effect, even to the point of self-oscillation.

Rate knob controls the rate of the flange effect. Can be overridden by the tap tempo switch.

Shift control knob sets the center point of the modulation. Set it counterclockwise to make the wave ramp up quickly and down gradually. Set it clockwise to make the wave ramp up gradually and down quickly. Set it at noon for a perfectly symmetrical wave.

Left Wave Shape toggle switch sets the first half of the wave modulation. Left for sine, middle for triangle, right for square.

Right Wave Shape toggle switch sets the second half of the wave modulation. Left for square, middle for triangle, right for sine.

Dip Switches

Zero, Regen, Rate, Width, and Shift dip switches on the left side simply turn that parameter on or off for ramping or expression pedal capability.

Zero, Regen, Rate, Width, and Shift dip switches on the right side control whether the parameters rise or fall in ramp mode. This also affects the direction of movement with an expression pedal.

Polarity dip switch changes between positive & negative flanging. Positive flanging has a more “musical” sweep, and has a deep tone with plenty of lowend. Negative flanging is seen as having a more “hollow” and intense sound.

Sweep dip switch selects where Ramp sweeps. In “t” (top) the ramping (or expression control) will occur between the current Ramp knob position and the max position (fully clockwise). In “b” (bottom) the range is set between the current knob position and the minimum position (fully counterclockwise).

Other

All-analog signal path.

Bypass footswitch activates or bypasses the effect via true relay bypass. Can by changed to a momentary bypass via a dip switch in the back of the pedal.

Tap Tempo footswitch sets the tap tempo and always honors the last two stomps.

Preset toggle switch recalls presets. Middle position reflects current knob positions, right position recalls right preset, and left position recalls left preset.

Exp input jack allows expression pedal or CV control of parameters selected via dip switches on back of pedal. When no parameters are set to Ramp, it manually controls the phaser sweep.

Tap/MIDI input jack can be used for tap input or output with a regular ¼” instrument cable.

Powered by 9-volt battery or 9VDC power adapter (consumes ~50mA).

The Spectre follows in the familiar foot-steps of its forebears, coming in the instantly recognizable Chase Bliss Audio compact enclosure that houses its array of 6 knobs, 4 flip-switches, 2 foot-switches, and 16 top-mounted dip-switches. Mono Input & Output jacks, dedicated EXP/CV & TAP/MIDI jacks, and a power input jack round out the outside parameter control and I/O functionality. This set-up offers a range of parameter control and depth that eclipses any non-Chase Bliss Audio mono modulation pedal or just about any analog guitar pedal from any brand for that matter.

While the early production Warped Vinyl MKII, Wombtone MKII, & Gravitas had an adhesive sticker that displayed the dip-switch parameter functions, all current Chase Bliss Audio pedals including the Spectre now have this information screen-printed on the pedal. No stickers to worry about peeling off. It’s nice that CBA are always making these little improvements.

Upon opening the Spectre’s enclosure you’re greeted to one of the most densely packed pedals you’ll ever see. Chase Bliss Audio pedals are known for their efficient housing of components, and the Spectre is filled to the brim with transistors, resistors, 3207D chips, and more across both of its PCB’s, the analog board’s components being through-hole mounted & hand-populated. You’ll also notice several trimpots, but these aren’t for end-user adjustment. Part of the complexity of building the Spectres lies in carefully calibrating the pedal. Resist the temptation to fiddle around with these.

You’ll also notice something missing inside if you’ve ever peeked inside another CBA pedal. The Spectre is the first Chase Bliss Audio pedal to forgo the option of using a 9-volt battery for power. There’s simply no room inside for a battery! You’ll need a professional pedal power supply for this one, but since most guitarists use power supplies anyway, that shouldn’t be a concern for most people.

I consider this pedal a return to form for Chase Bliss Audio. Not that they’ve ever ventured off course, but for me, the Spectre recalls that feeling I got when playing the original Warped Vinyl for the first time. While the Wombtone & Gravitas do phasing and tremolo exceptionally well and benefit from Chase Bliss Audio’s unique ModuShape & Ramping functionality, the Warped Vinyl stole the spotlight for many guitarists due to its sonic originality. The Spectre, like the Warped Vinyl, also has a vibe and mojo that are completely unique to this pedal. I’ll be covering these unique characteristics as we dig in as they’re intricately associated with how various parameters function in use.

One thing to mention up front. The Spectre has a somewhat higher learning curve than previous Chase Bliss Audio pedals. As with other CBA pedals you can get away with finding great sounds by avoiding the dip-switches and just experimenting with the surface knobs & switches, but a basic understanding of the Spectre’s controls and how they interact will help you utilize the pedal to its fullest potential.

I’m Your Spectre, I’m Your Zero

First, the Spectre’s Zero & Width knobs are the 2 most important parameters to come to grips with. These 2 knobs adjust the delay times of the Spectre’s 2 bucket-brigade analog delay lines. The Zero knob sets the 1st delay line to a static delay time and ranges from about 0.5ms (all the way counter-clockwise) to about 2.5ms (fully clockwise). The Width knob starts at a static 2ms delay (fully counter-clockwise) and sets the max delay time that the LFO will modulate to, up to about 10ms when dimed. So when the Spectre’s LFO modulates the Width’s delay line against the Zero’s static delay time, the flanging (or chorus/vibrato) sounds will occur.

So where’s the elusive “zero point”? The Spectre is a “through-zero” flanger after all. In short, it’s generally around 1-2 o’clock on the Zero knob’s sweep. Notice that the minimum value on the Width knob, 2ms, falls within the range of the Zero knob’s 0.5ms-2.5ms delay time. The through-zero flanging sounds occur when both delay lines sync up and pass through the 2ms threshold.

Finding the precise “zero point” is easy. Make sure the Polarity dip-switch is “up” (or “OFF”, which is Negative Polarity), and turn the Width knob all the way counter-clockwise. Cranking the Mix helps, too. Regen can be set wherever, but you may want to leave it at minimum when starting out. Now start turning the Zero knob up past noon. You’ll hear a phased filtering sound until your signal sudden drops in volume and becomes nearly inaudible. You’ve found it! You’ve reached the “zero point”! So now what?

Through Zero And Back Again

So if the Zero knob is set to the “zero point” and you raise up the Width knob, say, to about noon, you’ll hear the flanger flanging. I’d recommend keeping the ModuShape switches at “Sine” as you’re learning, and keep Shift at noon, also. And be sure to take a moment to marvel how all this huge flanging happens within only a few milliseconds of delay modulation. From here, you can experiment with the Regen knob to hear how intense the flange gets as you push it up to more extreme values.

One of the coolest aspects of the Spectre is that it can go through-zero twice as the LFO modulates the Width. Here’s how it works…

Let’s say Zero is still set to the “zero point” at 1-2 o’clock which is about 2ms of delay. And Width is at noon which is in the ballpark of around 6ms. So the LFO is modulating Width from its static minimum delay of 2ms to about 6ms. Now if you increase the Zero knob to maximum, you’ll raise its static delay point from about 2ms to a full 2.5ms. This means that the “zero point” is now 2.5ms as this is the delay time at which the 2 delay lines pass over each other and cancel out. If you set the Width to somewhere between 9 o’clock to noon, you’ll hear the flanging effect pass through the zero point twice as it ascends and descends through the LFO sweep. The Spectre’s through zero flanging effects are gorgeous to beyond, and the sounds of passing through zero twice create even more inspiring possibilities.

The pedal really opens up as you understand what’s happening conceptually, so it helps to try to wrap your head about what I have attempted to explain so far.

You also may have heard that the Spectre makes “whale songs”. It does. The ethereal whale gods await your sonic communion. (Hint: crank the Regen knob!) I also found some cool “tremolo flanger” effects, too, as well as chugging, mechanical flanger tones. I could keep trying to explain with words the kinds of unbelievably cool sounds this pedal makes, but it’s really best left for you to explore. Over time your perspective will change from just turning knobs until something sounds cool to actually knowing how to find the kinds of sounds you’re looking for. The Spectre is a pedal that rewards patience and persistence, as you’ll always be able to find strange and unique sounds every time you play it. Just remember to save presets of the interesting sounds you create.

If you have the urge to dial in some less extreme sounds, the Spectre also does some great analog chorus and vibrato effects as well. To start, turn the Zero & Regen all the way down (counter-clockwise), and you can adjust the depth of the pitch vibrato with the Width knob. Keep the Mix around noon for a 50%/50% chorus blend, or turn it fully clockwise for a vibrato sound. The Spectre has it’s own pleasing color for an interesting variation of the kinds of sounds we’ve heard from the Warped Vinyl MKII. While analog chorus and flange effects are both rooted in bucket-brigade chip technology, each of these pedals have different root sounds and unique sonic qualities. Also, while the Warped Vinyl MKII has its dedicated Tone knob, the Spectre’s chorus & vibrato can be spiced up by adding in the Regen to feed the signal back into itself. This sounds epic on clean tones.

ModuShape

This has been a staple of Chase Bliss Audio pedals released so far, and it’s still the best analog LFO wave-shaping solution I’ve seen on a pedal. The Shift parameter is especially useful when going for flange effects that pass through the zero point twice as it can help you contour the rhythm of the movement. Be sure to experiment with the various sine, triangle, and square LFO combinations as well as this will add interest to the Spectre’s sounds. Try using a square wave on one side with a lop-sided Shift setting for weird flange sweeps that snap back to the opposite LFO position like a rubber band.

Ramping

Once you understand how to get a basic flange sound dialed in, the Ramping can really take it to interesting new places. Try taking just one parameter like Zero, Width, or Regen and set it to Ramp via one of the dedicated dip-switches on the top side of the pedal. Be sure to flip the Bounce dip-switch “On” as well so that the Ramped parameters will modulate back and forth on their own at the rate set by the Ramp knob. Try setting the Sweep to “Top” for even more fun. This gets crazy pretty quickly. Again, just remember to save your sounds!

MIDI

If you’re using a MIDI effects switcher, you’ll definitely want to take advantage of preset selection. There are 122 total slots that presets can be saved to/recalled from (2 are manually accessible via the Preset flip-switch between the foot-switches). In addition you can do other handy things like activate/bypass the pedal or control parameters via MIDI CC messages if you’re really adventurous. I’m a huge advocate for using a software sequencer like Ableton Live to automate pedals with custom programmed parameter changes. Spectre is game for any of that stuff. Just get an Empress Effects Midibox to unlock the potential.

Surpassed Ex-Spect-atations?

Chase Bliss Audio is becoming one of the most hyped pedal builders around, but frankly, they’re one of the few builders that always backs it up. Each pedal they’ve released so far has been spectacular (no pun intended) and a huge success. The Spectre continues Chase Bliss Audio’s trend of releasing top shelf guitar pedals of incomparable quality and further secures their reputation as one of the most bold and innovative builders of today. But with the growing expectations of the guitar playing community looming large, it’s pleasantly surprising to see Chase Bliss Audio sticking to their vision and releasing the pedals they want to create as opposed to trying to meet outside demands of everyone with an opinion of what their products should be.

While the Spectre sounds amazing in every context I’ve played it in, there are a few areas where I’d like to offer some healthy constructive criticism. First, I found the lack of an output Volume knob a little troublesome. While the output is generally pretty even and close enough to unity-ish gain when the Mix knob is set low and up to around 50%, pushing it higher for fully wet flanging or vibrato results in a mild volume increase that should be taken into consideration during use. Also, I really wish the Mix had been Ramp-able as I’d love to modulate from the Wet to Dry signals as well as using expression pedal control to do. (Fortunately, the Mix is MIDI controllable, so there’s always that option for real-time Mix blend adjustment.) And at first I was disappointed when I tried out the Momentary mode. I was hoping for a customized mode that would allow the pedal add a smooth through-zero swoosh. Some pedals do this, but here it kicks in the effect wherever it’s currently sweeping through the LFO like with other Chase Bliss Audio modulation pedals. But this grew on me here with the Spectre as it lets you apply an abrupt moment of flange which is still very cool in its own right. It’s rad, just not what I was hoping for. Also, the dry side of the Mix isn’t pristinely clean and unaffected by any means; it has a warm analog color of its own, so take this into consideration when pairing with distortion or fuzz as it’ll alter the character of dirty sounds more noticeably. This can actually be another cool thing if you dial in your dirt around the Spectre.

I sympathize with the few tradeoffs that were made. The available parameters and the ones that are Ramp-able provide the most functionality that can be squeezed out of the form factor Chase Bliss Audio have used so far. The colored dry audio signal gives its character. And a customized through-zero Momentary mode would only work if the dry signal was pristinely dry, thus changing the character of the Spectre’s great tone. Not to mention this would be a programming headache for lone designer/engineer/programmer, Mr. Joel Korte, who dreams up and somehow executes these complex guitar pedal designs.

But none of my minor concerns warrant a drastic change in this design, meaning I hope Chase Bliss Audio doesn’t release a Spectre MKII any time soon. But this pedal sparked my imagination to wonder what they’d be able to do with a larger enclosure. It occurred to me that I’d really like to see a version in a larger form-factor with a pristine dry signal, an additional Volume knob, and Ramp-able Mix. A “Super Spectre” would be amazing if CBA ever creates slightly larger guitar pedals and feels the motivation to execute such a beast. In the meantime, this will most likely be the only analog flanger you’ll ever need. the Spectre is a monster of a flanger pedal and well worth getting acquainted with.

Let’s see the final result.

The Chase Bliss Audio Spectre is the most ambitious and inspiring pedal yet from this company and arguably one of the best analog flanger pedals you’ll ever hear. The unrelenting passion that went into fine-tuning the Spectre is evident from the moment you plug it in as the sounds it produces never cease to amaze. While a bit deeper and more complex than other CBA pedals, due to the intricacy of its through-zero operation, guitarists who explore what the Spectre has to offer will be rewarded with stellar flanging, chorus, and vibrato tones. Chase Bliss Audio continues to push analog pedal design to its limits, and the Spectre is yet another great example of a pursuit of excellence that pedal builders rarely strive for.

Not too many flanger pedals out there. If I buy a pedal I wanna go for one that has as many adjusting abbilities as possible so that I get this type of pedal once instead of having 3 flanger pedals for example just because they all have different features. This one looks just like the one I would get. Very cool!

Wow, this would be a cool pedal to own, I’m not even sure what I’d do to start with this pedal if I got it. It seems very versatile and I could use it in a large amount of styles and songs that I like to play!

This is the most amazing modulation pedal period. I’ve owned the Chase Bliss Wombtone, and it was the most unique phaser I ever owned, not quite the traditional phaser sound I was looking for however, and the depth and complexity were way beyond me. But I have a feeling the Spectre would give me a reason to dive into the depths and complexity of it because it can really make some one of a kind sounds if you tap into it. I wish I had one!

Man, what a Flanger. If I had this Flanger, I’d be all wweeeeeoooooooooowwwwwwwweeeeeooooowwwweeooowwwww and then maybe I’d make it fast like wowowowowowowowow, like if a alien shot a alien gun at me, only I’m playing guitar.

Joel really outdid himself on this one. The Spectre must be the best flanger par none. I have the WV mk2 and the Gravitas and if my wallet allows it, they wont be the only Chase Bliss pedals for long :)

I first saw this pedal on the Chicago music exchange review where they did the James Bond bit and I laughed my ass off. The pedal really blew me away in all aspects. You can get those simple chorusy tones with a little rise and fall in there, all the way to crazy jet sounds and that crazy through zero action. Thanks for the super in depth review. I can’t wait to actually try one out for myself. It’s the first flanger that has truly impressed me.

I had the Spectre sent me to and I wanted to love it. It certainly looks beautiful. But man there’s an awful lot of hiss associated with this unit. Regardless of the settings, it’s just noisy. I use my rig at my home studio exclusively for recording, so ultimately the noise is a deal breaker. Particularly since these are not inexpensive effect boxes. I might feel different if I was gigging, but I’m only recording. I have the other Chase Bliss boxes at my studio (on loan) and they all sound great. Exceptional tone, vivid, and no noise. Also, I did a side by side test of the Spectre against my 35-year old A/DA Flanger. The AD/A is solid and has a classic tone. The Spectre has a much more investing sound, and powerful controls. But the A/DA is completely quiet. Spectre hisses.

I feel like a MK ii of this pedal is inevitable. He’ll find some way to lower the noise floor but it will be at the cost of the sone characteristic sound of the Spectre (granted he probably will include a switch on the MK ii that brings back the lo-fi-ness back).

Regardless I’ll be saving up for, if only because Chase Bliss is the king of modulation effects.

As a pedal builder myself, Chase Bliss always always always makes my jaw drop. The build quality is excellent and all of that in such a small package – it blows my mind. Please never stop putting products out there because you’re an inspiration to many!

I like how chase bliss takes relatively simple effects ideas and overkills them in the best way possible. I don’t think I’ve ever actually been interested in getting a flanger pedal until this one came out. I’ve heard rumors that if you take the mix and Regen all the way up and set it to a slow rate, ramp the zero, and run it into a boomy reverb it will make whale calls. Maybe it’s just a myth though…

This is my first time on this site and I must congratulate for the good reviews, very detailed and useful, many reviewers usually spend just a few lines, it is nice to see a long review in a while!
I currently use a ClusterFlux Moog as Flanger/Chorus/Vibrato, and is an incredible and versatile pedal, yet I don’t think I could recreate some of the Spectre sounds. I would be very curious to make an A/B comparison with the two stompboxes.

This seems like another killer pedal from Chase Bliss. They’ve been on my radar for a while now starting with the release of the Warped Vinyl. The degree of control these things offer seems incredible. Definitely can’t wait to get one of their pedals.

Thanks for reviewing this pedal in such detail!!!!! It’s been my absolute favourite to come out, and I hope to eventually pair it with a Warped Vinyl… The sound is so expansive, and I’ve been dying to play through one… Joel is a genius!!!!!!! Looking forward to all he has to contribute to the pedal world…

I am just so impressed with everything Joel and Chase Bliss are able to come up with. This is such a unique, musical flanger that doesn’t make me instantly think of Van Halen. How I’d love to have one *fingers crossed

ChaseBliss makes amazing pedals, at least as far as I can tell – I’ve never had the chance to use one before! I am big time into tweaking things, and they give the user so many ways to tweak settings, way more than any other builder I’ve seen. What TC Electronic allows the user to do with their TonePrinte editing software, ChaseBliss allows the user to do right on the unit, with no software needed. I would love to get my hands on one of these things and play around with it for hours and find a way to use it on my board that I use for worship music.

Already an owner of the Chase Bliss Warped Vinyl, Gravitas, and Wombtone, I was really excited to hear that Joel was working on a Flanger. All the video demos I’ve seen so far would indicate that he really set the bar high. It’s an incredibly versatile, compact tool for shaping sounds – an instrument in its own right even. I like a lot of the modern alternative/indie rock, and the Spectre easily captures the sound of “Nocturne” by Wild Nothing. I can’t wait to get my hands on one of them and I’m looking forward to the Tonal Recall as soon as that one is released.

Most versatile flanger! So many different controls. if I had this pedal I would simply set it to the weirdest setting I could find! CBA’s next pedal should be an extremely weird fuzz, maybe combined with another effect for maximum weirdness.

This pedal seems very very awesome and very intuitive. I have always used relatively simple petals like Boss and Fuzz Faces. If I had this I think I would eventually learn to love it but at first glance it seems intimidating!

I love chasebliss pedals, so when I heard about the spectre, I was super excited. I currently own both a wombtone and a gravitas, and I’ve been debating whether a spectre or warped vinyl would be my next one. I’d especially love to hear the spectre and wombtone working in tandem together!

The most tweakable flanger around.I own a JOYO Flanger but am not that happy with it .You cannot tweak it enough for my liking.All Chase Bliss pedals that I have seen are a tone tweakers dream and this is one of my favorites.

Sounds fantastic! I’m writing songs just imagining how they’ll sound through this. And since it’s my birthday this weekend, I’m hoping that the magickal staff at BGE will pick me to win the giveaway! :)

Chase Bliss Audio does it again and makes a very versatile and articulate pedal! This pedal would broaden the “spectrum” of original writing. I play bass and guitar in an experimental avante-garde band and an experimental blues rock band at the moment. This pedal looks like a lot of fun especially when experimenting with all the different parameter settings to produce different sounds. This would go well with my micro synth as well as a chorus. Chase Bliss should also think about making and experimental fuzz gate! I can only imagine the possibilities with parameter switching up on top of the pedal in changing glitch waveform and character of the fuzz (germanium/silicon).

Chase Bliss Audio does it again and makes a very versatile pedal! This pedal would broaden the spectrum of original writing. I play bass and guitar. I know that I would have a ton of fun experimenting with all different sounds and parameters. I love writing with fresh and inspiring pedals. This would go well next to my synth as well as a chorus. Chase Bliss should also think about making an experimental fuzz gate!! I can only imagine the possibilities with the parameter switching up on top of the pedal in changing glitch waveform and character of the fuzz (germanium/silicon).

I really wish i understood the way that thru-zero flanging actually works, but it seems like the dual delay approach really gets close to the ways that flanging normally works in the studio, really interesting feature set

I saw an interview with the man behind Chase Bliss and was simply blown away with his perseverance and what he has overcome in life. I would gladly place any of his killer fx into my pedalboard, and absolutely intend to.

Chase Bliss Audio does it again with this one!
Dip switches and so many parameters, that too all analog!
The only drawback to it is the lack of a 9 V Battery slot, but apart from that, there is no negatives at all.
4.5 is completely well deserved.

We bought our son his first guitar a year ago on his 16th birthday. He had been wanting an electric guitar so we finally pulled the trigger. He has not put it down since. We plan on getting him a Dirty Little Secret for his upcoming 17th birthday. I’d love to surprise him with the Spectre too and see how far his creativity takes him! We obsess over the demo videos and it would friggin rock to see my kid make one of his own!

Great review, very in-depth. What an amazing Flanger, I’m still amazed by the Wombtone Phaser. I love the decked out feature set. For some effects less is more but for mod pedals, IMHO the more parameters the better. I love the rhythmic timing options and, as a bass player Id love to experiment with it to find sounds that can help bring sounds that pulse with the groove. Heard the isolated bass track for Bowie’s Hereos and it makes me want to use a flanger again on bass!

For years I’ve been wanting a classic TZF Flanger and this looks like the proper pedal that can handle all the ramp ups and waveforms to cover classic flanging sounds! Plus the footprint is more manageable then previous designs !

A a through-zero flanger with so many tone-shaping options? Where do I start?! It certainly deserves more than my butchery of Unchained. But after listening to the Spectre on YouTube and reading about its capabilities on respected chat sites, two themes immediately became crystal clear: 1) I must hear and tinker with the Spectre for myself ASAP at my local guitar shop, and 2) having on my ‘board a pedal with so many tone-tweaking treats will very likely change for the better the way I think about and make music.

With its thoughtful and in depth reviews, bestguitareffects.com is easily the best instrument related site I’ve come across. As an avid reader of their site, I always appreciate that they never half ass any of their work, unlike other sites where you’re lucky to see a full paragraph as their write up or “review.”
The effort and detail that goes into this website is unparalleled. It’s the first place I look for pedal information, and I know I can rely on their reviews and articles. It’s also my go to when I want to hear what a pedal sounds like, as they give a longer, more I depth tutorial than the actual pedal manufacturers. I’ve made decisions on more than one purchase based on their reviews and videos, they let me know who and what I can trust!
I don’t own a flanger, but the Chase Bliss Audio Spectre looks amazing! If they say this is one of the, if not the best flanger ever made, then it must be! They really show the love and care Chase Bliss put into this pedal!

Chase Bliss has been raising the bar with every new pedal release. The Spectre is no different. The tonal offerings and attention to detail will continue to set Joel and CB apart from their peers. Cheers to that!

How eerie and ghostly sounding!! I Could definitely use this in some Black Angels type songs. this pedal=MOOD!!! its almost a happyless sounding pedal, haunting but at the same time soft and lush! love it!

I have never ever seen the use for a flanger for my particular playing, but after reading this review and watching videos of it in use, I think I’ve found my new favorite, and I would love to get my hands on this.

I just bought the Chase Bliss Warped Vinyl MkII and love it! Excellent build quality, awesome tone and infinite tweakability. I don’t have a need for a flanger but have preordered their Tonal Recall pedal. Great company! Awesome review!

I just bought the Chase Bliss Warped Vinyl MkII. It’s an exceptionally built pedal, sound incredible and is infinitely tweakable. I love it! I don’t really need a flanger but will be buying their new delay that’ll be released soon. Great products and a great company!

So, another in-depth review – I like it. On the pedal: I’m the happy owner of a Warped Vinyl MK1 and it seems with this flanger Chase Bliss have reached that level of tone shaping again. Can’t wait to try it out especially combined with the WV.

That is a fine review – well-written and full of information. I look forward to going through it again … and again … no kidding about the learning curve! And that is a surprise, about the volume. Regardless, I think the Spectre would be my favourite flanger ever … if only I could find one … beautiful, dreamy, fantastic, probably even important work!

Awesome review! I’ve always been intrigued by chase bliss audio’s stuff. I’ve never been a huge fan of flangers, but the awesome thing about their pedals is how much they allow you to tweak and alter the sound and that’s definitely what I would use it for. To get new and different sounds.

blows my mind that CBA is able to cram so many ideas into such a small pedal. I love CBA because all of his pedals promote what I believe pedals are all about – experimentation. The CBA Spectre is the ultimate toy.

Would love to check this pedal out to look for something unique and different in worship music! Also saw jefferey Kunde of Jesus culture music is currently checking one out. Would be cool to see what sounds he comes up with on future records!

Ah, the flanger. So many memories…. some good, some…. bleh. You were overused so much of the time during the 90’s after Cobain came on the scene. At least in my circles. But now, 20 years later, I’m finding I need you in my life. I see what we could be together now that a bit of maturity has entangled itself within us both. And when you put on the dress that Spectre has given you, I find myself needing you more desperately. Will you come to me freely through this “contest”. Shall I be your champion? Or will I be forced to purchase you like so many of your sisters before?

Simply put, this is the most versatile flanger I have ever seen or even heard of. Of course, with this versatility comes with a learning curve, but I am absolutely positive its worth getting past every time I listen to the pedal. Make no mistake, the pedal is 100% analogue, so it’s absolute capable of producing Gilmour, Van Halen, and other tones with ease as only the storage of presets is MIDI. I’m in desperate of flanger that can take the place of that could take the place of the noisey Electric Mistress.

Holy Ghost! This is by far the best sounding flange I’ve heard. Listened with earbuds and I was getting the brain-tingles from how warm and smooth it sounded. Seems a bit intimidating but would definitely be worth mastering for this perfect tone. Sounds like an analogue ghost gurgling haunting melodies in the darkened depths.

This pedal has its own niche I feel. Although it covers all the classic flanger effects we know and love, the added attention that has been given means more creative ideas to explore. It doesn’t take much to take a particular setting and generate an idea for a song. The exciting thing in this regard for me then, is the opportunity to make THAT setting a game changer that other then get inspired by. Pretty cool. Old School meets the future soundscapes waiting to be created.

These comprehensive reviews are excellent. Loved the Vibe one as well.

Chase Bliss Audio effects are top-tier, sonically transformative analogue monstrosities that have a phenomenal range of sounds within a relatively small package! I would be be quite honored to receive the Spectre Flanger. Good luck everyone!

This pedal sounds great. Thanks for all the great reviews on analog pedals. I have bought the Vapor Trail & Pharoah Supreme based on yer reviews & other research. Keep up the great work. In the market for chorus , overdrive , flange pedals. This would be a great addition to my growing board.

I was never big on flangers in general until I saw the Knobs demo of the Spectre, which completely changed my attitude regarding them. it’s been a fun month learning about through-zero flanging and shattering a bias that existed for no good reason. It’s hard to not covet any Chase Bliss pedal, but especially one as inventive as the Spectre. Having owned the Warped Vinyl MKII for about a month now, and with a Gravitas on the way, I’ve come to the conclusion that I have no choice but to follow Joel’s creations, wherever they may lead. They’re that good.

I am craving for this pedal. I own a Gravitas and I’d say is the best analogue trem out there. From what I see and hear from the videos I’ve seen, the Spectre will cober all my flanging/chorusing needs. And at this foorprint on my pedalboard, it would be tempting to set aside my massive Electric Mistress Deluxe.

For me, the modushape factor is really what sets this brand of flange apart from most of the generic stuff you hear out there. To me that alone is worth the price of admission. My favorite part of the demo is from the 2:30 to the 3:15 mark (sampling producers – take notice), it’s a nice little chord change first of all but also shows just a little bit of the weirdo-aspect of this pedal. As far as the review goes, I like the thorough approach that you guys take, it’s a lot of info but also gives context to the brand and the pedal themselves. I didn’t know the modushape was Chase Bliss’s thing. lol …also i think it’s funny that the pedal is jam packed with so much stuff that there’s no room for a battery in the enclosure – is this pedal mega heavy ?

This is by far the most audacious pedal of any sort that I’ve ever come across. The lushness of tones available and the degree of control shown in the demo video are outstanding. I’m totally into this. It’s moved into my top 5 must own pedals.

joel is such a great guy, i can’t wait for the tonal recall coming this year and to see what else he is working on for the next project. I just wish these were a little bit less expensive, though i know that they are simply killer on both performance and build

It would be a dream to play songs as verdaders guitarrristas Professionals , thank you for the sorteazo because it is the dream of any guitarist to have a pedal like this. Thank you very much Greetings

Interesting pedal. I rarely use flange, but I find it an interesting effect. I just don’t have the money to buy that rather than something I would regularly use, like a fuzz or a delay. I’d love to experiment with it, though!
Good luck to all who entered the contest.

wow I couldn’t agree more about the review. This pedal definitely sits within the same league as the Warped Vinyl when it comes to originality in sound. Would really love to hear how it sounds on my board!!

Looking to get a good modulation/delay pedal to be added to my signal chain since I’m just getting started in ambient guitar. That pedal seems to bring many great tones and I would love to have it on my board :)

Looks like a great pedal. Wide, versatile array of flange effects on board here. That would work great to add some thickness and sparkle. I currently play electric guitar in a band that is centered around vocals, acoustic guitar, and keyboards. This could help me add flavor to the sparse electric sounds I pepper in.

I stopped using flangers a while ago, but hearing this thing and what it can do blew me away – Ive two H9s which cover a massive range of sounds brilliantly, and still this box takes it to a new level and has me wanting to use flangers again but in ways I never thought. Awesome.

This is far and away the best flange pedal I have heard since the EVH MXR Flanger. Add to it the amount of control on the Spectre is insane. Best of all, they managed to fit it all in a “normal” single pedal space. The purple knobs would feel right at home next to the Suhr Riot Reloaded on my board.

there is no store dealing brands like chase bliss and other small boutique companies’ products in Greece making it extremely hard for us here to shed this much dough on something we haven’t been in the same space with. The reviews and demos are all phenomenal for most all Chase Bliss products this one here included. Maybe these companies should team up and tour countries with demo and tryout sessions so we can feel sounder when investing the $400 As far as the Spectre goes, it makes me want to study signal processing because i never liked flangers until mr Korte unlocked them for me.

Great review, spot on. In a time where the pedal market is flooded by pt2399 reverb-delay pedals, Chase Bliss takes the Flanger (a pedal no one dared to tinkle with, indeed a bold move) and reinvents it. I think with this build he is raising the bar for pedalbuilders. I mean, this guy can probably make a chorus sound sexy.
Builder has a beautiful story, and from what I’ve seen, beautiful pedals. Can’t wait to play it.

You’ll probably think I’m kidding, but I literally just drooled watching that demo. Literally. I felt something weird and cold on my lip and thought “what the hell is that?”. It was drool, that’s what.

Chase Bliss has accomplished what few other pedals makers can boast- they’ve come up with a completely original (and almost signature) sound. The fact that they include MIDI pushes them to the elite tier of innovative companies.

My oh my this thing sounds awesome! And looks the part too. I have a D Seed delay at the end of my pedal board to give me some mega post rock sounds but think this might push it over the edge. Had a very basic flanger before I used to play Kyuss – Thumb but it got stolen :(
I want this. Like, seriously!

Best flanger on the planet. I would use this to generate whale calls and befriend a bunch of whales and similar sea creatures. Then we would start a surf rock band called The Ocean Spectre. Every track would feature this pedal.

Everything Joel has come up with so far has been a game changer for that genre of effect. The spectre is no exception! I never really thought of owning a flanger until I heard this pedal. I’m really digging on the crazy whale-like self oscillation!!

Fantastic demo as always!
Joel has done it again.
I would’ve never thought I would have wanted a flange pedal, but this is something else.
In my opinion, Mr. Korte is the best and most unique builder on this over-saturated market.
These pedals WILL be classics.

So first things first, I have a warped vinyl from Chase Bliss. I was hesitant to spend the money but after hearing such good things and realizing that the money goes to some great people who have their hearts and minds totally immersed in their products, I bought it.
The quality is unbelievable. The capability is incredible, it’s quiet, it sounds beautiful and I use it more than I thought.
I made up my mind that I’ll have to have a Spectre and a Tonal Recall as well.
WORTH EVERY PENNY!.
The review you guys put up is concise and informative as always but I was already sold!

The colors are great, the effects are great — Chase Audio Bliss has outdone itself making this cool pedal, as it has all of the bells and whistles to bring out the creativity of electric guitarists and let their imagination soar! I hope i win this gem of a guitar pedal!

This guy is really putting out the most innovative pedals on the market. It’s like having a breadboard right in front of you. The midi implementation is so cool, especially if you have more than 1 of his pedals on your board.
This is a giveaway I really want to win.

I’m very picky when it comes to flangers. Most sound on the nasty side. However, the Chase Bliss Audio Spectre is a whole different story. It’s subtle yet powerful with a rich arsenal of sonic possibilities. I’d love to get to play with one of these one day!

Drooling over this pedal. I have a Gravitas and Warped Vinyl mkii already, but I think this one may take the cake. It can do chorus and vibrato as well as a wicked flange. I have two more spots on my Empress MIDIBox. This review basically states I need this pedal.

Major functional Flanger plus. Extreme Adjustments for getting the sound you’re looking for. Thanks for sharing. I have been thinking of some interesting ways I could use it in recording, at church and also with my Schecter VI. Pretty Good I’d say!

Holy OMG! What a great review for a superbly crafted pedal! This is a great introduction to a company that I have been curious about for some time now. I do not have any Chass Bliss products at the moment, but I am also in the market for a flanger pedal, so when I saw this review…I was completely sold on it!

Thanks a lot for the review, I have been following Chase for a while now and he makes the most amazing pedals in my opinion. The Spectre is no different, the idea of the dipswitches and controlling the pedal digitally while keeping the effect itself analog is amazing. I would love to have one

This pedal is simply amazing! I was perfectly content with my Electric Mistress but the functionality of this pedal is amazing and also my colors so it is the most aesthetically pleasing pedal I have ever seen. I must have one!!!!

Wow! This is definitely the most complete flanger pedal I’ve ever seen. Normally I find flanger effects pedals kind of boring but this one, combined with distortion and some delay could be really fun to use. Seems like it is capable of delivering a lot of different sounds. Really nice!

These look incredible! Been drooling over this flanger on Instagram! Been thinking about retiring my huge and old flanger and replacing it with this. It’d sound great and take up a lot less room on my board. Such a cool pedal!

I’ve been searching for a flanger pedal like this for a long time. No one has seemed to execute the the sounds and the accessibility of a pedal like the Chase Bliss Spectre. It not only sounds beautiful, but it would definitely sit proud on a pedalboard too.

After seeing the story behind the construction of these pedals I was amazed… And how good their sound and look… No way they have a competition in this market. Top notch of pedals!!! Analogue RULES!!! :) I really want this…

This pedal, to me, seems like the epitome of complete customization. There are so many changeable parameters, which would at first seem overwhelming, but once understood, you’d be glad to have them. I simply wonder how they managed to stuff it all into that box! Definitely a pedal I’d like to add to my board.

Really awesome product yet again from Joel. The wombtone has been such a pleasant surprise on my board seeing how I was never a modulation person but now I’m hooked and really hope to get my hands on the spectre!

Chase Bliss Audio is one of the best companies around right now, and they keep putting out incredible pedals. The spectre is a prime example of what they can do with the format of a regular pedal, like a flanger. There are so many options I wouldn’t know where to start. It is such a musical pedal and there are so many options for tones and sounds in that box. It’s by far my favorite flanger on the market.

As usual, Joel and crew have put together what looks like a beast of a pedal. I love that I can collaborate with the digital brain that controls the analogue heart, as two heads are better than one, at least proverbially.

TZ Flanging, sounds great, looks killer and i absolutely LOVE the name and graphical styling of “Spectre”! I’d use it and abuse in totally dirty (and maybe naughty) ways, should i be the lucky one to win this marvelous piece of flanging goodness! Cheers all!

Joel’s designs are always tasteful but rad. But what I most like is that he only produces top quality effects and he gives us such a great degree of control in an analog pedal. It’s been said, but it’s simply unprecedented. And “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” is probably my favorite song with highly recognizable flanger.

Even when I know I won’t be able to afford them, I end up watching every Chase Bliss demo and reading every interview with Joel. I can’t wait to see what he does now he’s finally done the delay people have been pestering him for!

Chase Bliss does it again, a tweaker’s dream. So many options, but they are all ultimately usable and inspiring… and flange is such a great playground for experimentation. I love everything I’ve heard from the Spectre, would be amazing to own one.